There are certain things you will do no matter what time it is. But what I have found is that what you will do at any time can change.

Here is an example of what I’m talking about: When I was in my teens, if someone said, “Paul, we have ice at 2:00 am Saturday morning,” my response would be, “I’ll be there. What arena?” 

At that stage in my life, it didn’t matter what time of day or night I would play hockey. I was on call 24/7. 

But that is not how I feel about playing hockey today. I still love playing just as much as I did back then, but now I have limits – or should I say boundaries – as to when I will play.

For years guys have asked me if I wanted to play hockey on their teams. My answer has always been the same: I don’t like playing the late games. 

Adult hockey usually starts at 8:00 pm in the evening and by the time you get home it’s 10:00 or 10:30 pm. 

But that’s not all. When you get home that late after playing hockey, you are still wired. You can’t just flop on your bed and fall asleep. You have to unwind for a while. That means you are not getting to bed until 11:30 pm or 12:00 am.

If you have to get up in the morning, it’s a killer. 

And then think about the games that start at 9:00, 10:00 pm or later. 

I once played an 11:30 game, got cut and needed to go after the game to the hospital for stitches. The emergency was empty that night but I still got home at about 3:00 am. 

Not much sleep to go on to teach Sunday school the next day … or should I say, later that morning. 

So now when someone says to me, “Hey Paul, we have ice. You want to play?” I respond with, “What time?”

I won’t do late any more.

It’s true with a lot of things. I will do it in keeping with the boundaries I’ve set. 

But just the other day I threw out the boundaries and agreed to get my hair cut whenever a time was available. 

I would not normally book a haircut in the morning. I usually have things already scheduled then. But when you haven’t had a haircut for 3 1/2 months, you are willing to take any appointment. 

I called my barber at the first of the week and he hemmed and hawed. I told him it didn’t have to be that day, and he responded with “I realize that”. He paused a few more seconds and then said, “How early do you get up? How about 7:00 am Saturday?”

I didn’t even flinch. “I’ll be there,” I replied. It was like the guy had booked a sheet of ice. 

I’d get up to play hockey at 7:00 am on a Saturday. It turns out I’d get up to get my hair cut at 7:00 am too. 

… Well, not always.

Here’s the thing: When something is really important to you, you will change your schedule, make exceptions and do what you have to do in order to accommodate that important thing. Well, consider your relationship with God. If He is important to you, what lengths will you go to in order to spend time with Him? I hope you can respond, “I’ll be there”.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What stands in your way of spending quality time with God each day? Leave your comments and questions below.

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